After applying a good lip balm, and allowing it to absorb for 10 minutes blot off your lips by kissing a tissue. If you have very dry lips try gently exfoliating & using a lip mask the night before.
Using a sharp lip pencil (I recommend sharpening it with a good sharpener designed for makeup pencils first) draw an “X” shape on your cupids bow.
Using light, feathering motions slowly join the lip liner from the cupids bow to the very outer corners of the mouth. If you find the lip liner is too hard try warming it up on the back of your hand before application.
Again using light, feathering motions line the lower lips, making sure you get right into the corners of the mouth. You can stop here and apply a lipstick or fill in your whole mouth. I prefer to fill in the whole mouth with a lip pencil, otherwise when lipstick fades you are left with an obvious line around the mouth.
Hold the lip pencil on an angle and fill in the rest of your mouth, again making sure you get right into the corners of the mouth. Holding the pencil on an angle means you get more colour coverage and a soft, precise edge instead of a blunt one.
Now fill in the upper lips using small strokes and gradually build up colour, it helps to make a slight smile when applying lip products this ensures the whole mouth is covered.
After smacking the lips together, you can either choose to stop here for a matte finish or add a matching lipstick on top. If you choose to wear it matte make sure your lips are in great, hydrated condition as it can be drying.
Using a small lip brush draw that same “X” as earlier on and make sure you get right into the corners of the mouth. For the lower lips hold the brush on its side again for a perfect, clean edge. For more intense colour blot, and apply again.
If you made any mistakes or wobbly lines take a cotton tip with a small amount of makeup remover and clean it up.
Blot the lips by kissing a tissue again, unlike the traditional blotting (placing a tissue halfway in the mouth and pressing the lips down) this technique won’t make your lip colour fade unevenly.
You’re done!